Uncertainty swirls with season finale looming

Tuesday

PHILADELPHIA — DeSean Jackson said he wants to return to Philadelphia next year.

Andy Reid won’t say whether he wants to be back or even if he thinks owner Jeffrey Lurie will have him back.

“I haven’t even thought about that,” Reid said during his news conference on Monday. “My mind doesn’t go in those directions. I control what I control and that’s getting better as a football team, and so that’s what we’re going to do throughout this week.”

He said that he and Lurie haven’t talked about the future.

“We haven’t done that right now,” said Reid, who has two years left on his contract. “Jeffrey’s a competitive guy and wants to win every game, and I’m a competitive guy and I want to win every game and that’s kind of where our focus is and so we haven’t talked about anything other than that. That’s where our focus is right now.”

Reid poked fun at reports that said he would be interested in the San Diego Chargers job if head coach Norv Turner is fired or resigns.

“I wouldn’t know what to do without having these press conferences,” he said.

What Reid said he will concentrate on now is the Washington Redskins, who will visit Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday at 1 p.m.

And don’t try telling him the game means nothing. A win would give the Eagles a four-game winning streak and an 8-8 record following a 1-4 start. Reid added that all of his starters — the healthy ones, anyway — will play.

“This is what we do as coaches,” he said. “This is what the players do as players. This is their profession. So to say something’s meaningless, I don’t think that’s right. I think it’s an opportunity to play another game against a good football team and make yourself better as a team and as an individual and that’s what you do.

“You can’t not prepare. If you’re going to play, you have to prepare to play four quarters and that’s what you have to do. So that’s what we’re going to do.”

It could be Reid’s final game with the Birds, although that doesn’t seem likely at this point.

It could be Juan Castillo’s final game as the team’s defensive coordinator, although his defense has played well the past few weeks and is now ranked eighth in the league.

Chances seem to be better, however, that it could be Jackson’s final game in an Eagles uniform.

His contract expires at the end of the season and the team’s inability to negotiate a long-term, big-money deal has been blamed for Jackson’s seeming disenchantment during stretches of the season.

Jackson, though, said he would like to return, and he could without a new contract if the Eagles decide to put the franchise tag on him during the offseason.

“That’s out of my control,” said Jackson. “Hopefully I will be (back). I consider Philadelphia my home, and the fans have embraced me and things like that. If I had the power to do anything, maybe something would have been different, but I don’t know. It’s really out of my control.”

Jackson will enter Sunday’s season finale with 54 catches for a team-high 875 yards. He will need a big game if he wants to post his third straight 1,000-yard receiving season.

“He’s playing very good football right now,” said Reid. “I’m proud of him for that.”

While Jackson could be playing his final game as an Eagle, Birds fans may have already seen the last of Asante Samuel on their sideline. Furthermore, another sticky potential contract situation looms next season with LeSean McCoy, who will be on the final year of his rookie contract.

Reid said Samuel, who did not play in Saturday’s 20-7 win over Dallas due to a lingering hamstring injury, will be hard-pressed to return to the field against the Redskins. It’s no secret that the Eagles tried twice to trade Samuel — once during training camp in August and again prior to the trade deadline in October. Samuel was incensed that he was on the trading block and ripped the organization’s front office.

If the Eagles find a match, Samuel figures to be dealt, in which case Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who took several weeks to learn how to play in the slot, will slide back to his more comfortable outside corner position.

As for McCoy, Reid indicated he will play on Sunday. McCoy twisted his ankle against the Cowboys, but was able to return to the game. He wasn’t very effective, however, finishing with just 35 yards on 13 carries.

A contender to become the first Eagle to lead the NFL in rushing since Steve Van Buren did it in 1949, McCoy has fallen 128 yards behind leader Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jaguars.

McCoy, though, is expected to be named a starter on the NFC’s Pro Bowl team when it is released Tuesday. McCoy won the fan vote, released last week, but votes by players and coaches will now be factored in to determine who comprises the NFC and AFC teams.

Offensive tackle Jason Peters and defensive end Jason Babin also have a good chance of being elected to the NFC squad.

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